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I have decided that I am sick of the whole thing. I am going to keep an HD player on hand for Bourne and the slew of other HD movies I can't find anywhere else. Bbut I need my Hi Def. So I am going to go Blu. I have been eying the BD player deals thread for weeks now and I am pretty much done waiting. None of the deals really applies to me anyways (no Frys within 1000mi, my BB and CC won't price match ANYTHING).

I have a Panny 900 FP with a 106" HiPower screen. I have a Pioneer 1014 (no HDMI) receiver with 7.2 set up. I expect to get a Onkyo 605 sometime soon, but don't see an immediate need right now.

My choices:

PS3: Buy.com with $15 coupon no tax, no S&H: $380
Panny 30: BB $499 - 12% is $439 with triple points is a $25 reward zone (is this really worth more than a PS3).
Sony 300: Best Buy with 12% off is $352 with triple points (free $20 reward zone coupon) and $5 existing reward zone with 5 free movies (and there are 5 I would happily pay $16 each for). Or no rewards, no movies at CC for $260 (assuming I can pass the $40 coupon off)
Sony BDPS1: Same price at Best Buy as the 300. I imagine the 300 is better as it is newer but I cannot get a comparison. I know this model has a higher MSRP and I like the look a lot more.
Samsung 1200: CC open box for $239-40 coupon (again, assuming I can pass the coupon off) Older model but $200 with 5 free is something I can be happy about.

Looking for insight into how the older models compare with the 300 and to see if people think the Panny is worth the extra $100.

Thanks for the help. Will be a smurf by the end of the day today with your help!

Well I guess you'll have to make a choice as I see it. Do you want Interactivity (BD Live/Profile 2.0) with the ps3 and potential DTS-HD-MA internal decoding or do you want to have bitstreaming of DTS-HD-MA and Dolby TrueHD (Panny BD30) to your Onkyo 605?

If you can wait, the Panny BD50 would be the best standalone player, but if you enjoy games a little bit, the ps3 will give you that for free given the prices of BD players.

Thank you so much for the info...I decided on the Sammy 1400...I've heard better reviews on this site from owners about the Panny...but with the cost being about $100 more and the knowledge that I might need a newer one when Profile 2.0 is standardized, I decided that was the best bang for my buck.

My four year old HT is getting a little long in the tooth. I have a Bravo D2 that has finally bitten the dust and needs replacement. My projector is a Sharp 10K 720P with DVI or Component and my receiver is a Pioneer VSX-1015TX with a seven speaker setup. I'm keeping the projector and receiver for at least another year. If you were me, which player would you get?

These may give a little bit of information. I had a Samsung 5000 and returned it, as there are way too many problems right now. I decided to go with a PS3, as it is the most future proof, now after reading these two Blu-Ray articles, I am even more happy. I will get a standalone player, just not for awhile.

I would appreciate advise that I think essentially comes down to two questions: (1) Even though I have the new AVR...Denon 3808ci which has the 1080/24p and HDMI 1.3 processing, would it be BETTER to have Blu-Ray Panasonic model-to-come with stand-alone ability to process 1080/24p, HDMI 1.3, or simply have the Panny BD-30 which passes through the Denon process ?, and
(2) this question has been asked, but is there any credible info on when the aforementioned Panasonic BD-50 will be available ?

Thanks for your input. I continue to wonder if there is an inherent advantage to internal Blu-Ray processing compared to pass-through !

So, PS3 sounds like it is the way to go, but please confirm for me that because I have an "older" receiver that lacks HDMI, I will for now only have access to standard 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS soundtracks?

But these are available on EVERY disc, so for now I am sacrificing audio for future 'upgradeability' until I upgrade my receiver.

I have 5.1 analog inputs, but the PS3 has no way of outputting in that fashion?

Is the PS3 profile 2 upgradeable? Is there anything in the new spec that would require new hardware that the PS3 lacks?

I would appreciate advise that I think essentially comes down to two questions: (1) Even though I have the new AVR...Denon 3808ci which has the 1080/24p and HDMI 1.3 processing, would it be BETTER to have Blu-Ray Panasonic model-to-come with stand-alone ability to process 1080/24p, HDMI 1.3, or simply have the Panny BD-30 which passes through the Denon process ?, and
(2) this question has been asked, but is there any credible info on when the aforementioned Panasonic BD-50 will be available ?

Thanks for your input. I continue to wonder if there is an inherent advantage to internal Blu-Ray processing compared to pass-through !

Since your AVR will decode the advanced audio formats, the choice between the BD30 and BD50 comes down to one thing: do you want profile 2.0 capabilty and how much are you willing to pay for it? No retail price has been listed yet for the BD50 but I am sure it will be more than the BD30. PQ-wise, the BD30 and BD50 should be identical and since your Denon will do all the audio decoding it comes down to the profile question. If you don't want profile 2.0, then the choice seems clear: BD30.

My four year old HT is getting a little long in the tooth. I have a Bravo D2 that has finally bitten the dust and needs replacement. My projector is a Sharp 10K 720P with DVI or Component and my receiver is a Pioneer VSX-1015TX with a seven speaker setup. I'm keeping the projector and receiver for at least another year. If you were me, which player would you get?

So, PS3 sounds like it is the way to go, but please confirm for me that because I have an "older" receiver that lacks HDMI, I will for now only have access to standard 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS soundtracks?

But these are available on EVERY disc, so for now I am sacrificing audio for future 'upgradeability' until I upgrade my receiver.

I have 5.1 analog inputs, but the PS3 has no way of outputting in that fashion?

Is the PS3 profile 2 upgradeable? Is there anything in the new spec that would require new hardware that the PS3 lacks?

Would there be a better option?

Thank you all.

--Carl

I am in the same boat, as I don't have HDMI. You will just not be able to receive the lossless sound codecs (True HD and DTS Master). PS3 has all the things necessary to be upgraded to Profile 2.0. It has the Ethernet port and has the availability of adding memory with the card slots (1 gig is in the spec). In December a firmware was released for the 1.1 Profile. I checked all the available players out there, tried three of them at home and then got the PS3. It is the only one that isn't already outdated when you walk out the door. Didn't want a game console, but I guess I ended up with bonus features and for less $$$.

man i am torn. i want the flexibility that the PS3 offers but the bluetooth remote is a deal killer. i want ONE remote and that is it. the BD30 is my other choice, but the lack of an ethernet port bums me out. i like the idea of easy firmware updates. anyway, just being a crab arse. later.

Everyone's mostly talked about Audio Quality in the players on here, but there's hasn't been much discussion about Video Quality. I have a good old optical connection for audio with my Receiver and I'm not going to be upgrading that any time soon. So I'm solely concerned about Picture Quality. So in terms of Picture Quality, what are the best players out there??

Everyone's mostly talked about Audio Quality in the players on here, but there's hasn't been much discussion about Video Quality. I have a good old optical connection for audio with my Receiver and I'm not going to be upgrading that any time soon. So I'm solely concerned about Picture Quality. So in terms of solely Picture Quality, what are the best players out there??

PQ is something all of the players do incredibly well with BDs.

Seriously, I've seen alot of players in action and the PQ is within +/- 5% across the board really.

What you really should be looking @ is functionality.

PS3 is the most versatile of the bunch.
BD30 is a great machine, PiP capable and bitstreams over HDMI (audio)
BD10... Not PiP capable, but decodes every codec internally with the exception of DTS-MA and can pass over analog connections to legacy receivers.

BD50, which hasn't been released yet, will do everything the BD10 will do, but provides 1.1 and 2.0 (PiP and online).

IMO, if you have a legacy receiver (no hdmi) I would recommend something from Panasonic (either BD10 or upcoming BD 50) because of the ability to get great audio out of legacy receivers.

Seriously, I've seen alot of players in action and the PQ is within +/- 5% across the board really.

What you really should be looking @ is functionality.

PS3 is the most versatile of the bunch.
BD30 is a great machine, PiP capable and bitstreams over HDMI (audio)
BD10... Not PiP capable, but decodes every codec internally with the exception of DTS-MA and can pass over analog connections to legacy receivers.

BD50, which hasn't been released yet, will do everything the BD10 will do, but provides 1.1 and 2.0 (PiP and online).

IMO, if you have a legacy receiver (no hdmi) I would recommend something from Panasonic (either BD10 or upcoming BD 50) because of the ability to get great audio out of legacy receivers.

Cheers.

I'm not concerned about versatility. I don't need hdmi 1.3 since I don't have an hdmi receiver, I don't use PIP, and I'm not going online with the player so I don't need profile 2.

So basically all BD Players have the same picture quality? How about the first gen players like the pioneer elite HD1 and the sony S1?

I want the most basic, stable player with the best PQ. Forgot to mention I want something that outputs 1080p/24, which I think the Panny BD10 does not do.

Also I've read on here from many that say the BD10 has a noticeably softer PQ than the BD30

Correct..the BD10 does not do 1080P/24. The HD1 and S1 are rock solid players and will do TrueHD to LPCM via analog.

After more reading, I've seen that the Sony S300 is internally a carbon copy of the S1 but much cheaper. So in all the cases, I think I'll just go with whichever between the HD1, BD30, and S300 I can get cheaper

After more reading, I've seen that the Sony S300 is internally a carbon copy of the S1 but much cheaper. So in all the cases, I think I'll just go with whichever between the HD1, BD30, and S300 I can get cheaper

it doesn't. no BD player has "noticeably" softer picture than any other BD player if set up correctly. there may be other differences, such as the ability to deinterlace/output 1080p60 better.

Well perhaps that's the case, I know that the hd10 doesn't support 1080p/24 as the hd30 does, so maybe that's where the difference is. The HD1 even now is still pretty expensive as is the hd30, so I think my mind is made up on the Sony S300

Thank you so much for the info...I decided on the Sammy 1400...I've heard better reviews on this site from owners about the Panny...but with the cost being about $100 more and the knowledge that I might need a newer one when Profile 2.0 is standardized, I decided that was the best bang for my buck.

The Standard profile is 1.1 which the Panny supports. You will only need 2.0 if you want additional web content.

I went for the PS3 but the only current standalone I would (and did) consider, is the BD30. It appears to be the fastest and most stable SA with the least issues. That is worth a lot more IMHO than any 2.0 feature or internal decoding of the advanced formats. You could wait for the BD50 but who knows what new bugs it may have with the 2.0 functionality.

I am currently debtating between a PS3 and the Panny BD30. I have read a zillion threads and I honestly can't figure out which way to go and welcome any thoughts that anyone might have. Assume for the purpose of the thread that I am not interested in the gaming aspect of the PS3, the difference to me seem to be this:

PS3 can do firmware update via wifi. Panasonic has no internet connection and firmware updates must be done via manual CD.

PS3 is not Harmony compatible (not a big deal to me), but is futureproof(ish)